Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Signs of life

Guest Blogger: Dr. Ben Hodges (WHOI)

At first glance, the Sargasso Sea, where we’ve been
working for the past week, seems lifeless.
We haven’t seen any marine mammals, and it’s rare to spot a bird. Most of the time, all that can be seen looking
downward is a blue expanse of very clear water.
The CTD at the bottom of the photo below is quite visible from the
surface at a depth of perhaps 20 meters.

There are fish though, and they seem to be attracted to
objects in the water; sometimes, when the CTD comes up from the depths, it
brings a few tagalongs with it.

Occasionally, we see flying fish gliding a boat-length or
more, just above the waves. An unlucky
few have even landed on the deck of the Endeavor. And of course, small patches of sargassum,
the seaweed that gives the Sargasso Sea its name, float by frequently.

Many of the instruments we’ve been recovering have been here
for six months—some for as long as a year.
In that time, lots of gooseneck barnacles and a few small crabs have
made them home.

The Wave Gliders, which stay on the surface, act as small
artificial reefs—we spotted large fish swimming beneath them, including a few mahi-mahi several feet long.